Nebraska Man Sentenced for Cattle Theft

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Nebraska man is going to federal prison for nearly three years for a cattle theft scheme in central Missouri's Callaway County.

The U.S. Attorney's office said Monday that 48-year-old Allen John Foos must also pay nearly $245,000 in restitution under the sentence he received last week.

Foos, of Smithfield, Neb., pleaded guilty earlier to causing stolen livestock to be moved across state lines. He admitted using an alias to order cattle through middlemen from the Callaway Livestock Center. He sold some cattle without paying the sale barn, and paid for others with proceeds from later transactions.

The charge to which Foos pleaded guilty involved buying 167 cattle using a company he said was based in Shelton, Kan. A $117,000 check for payment bounced. Foos eventually paid $50,000, but the balance was unpaid.